Yakama Nation’s Bison Herd Healthy and Growing

SATUS, Wash. — Far from the fruit-growing plains, in the swampy lands of the Yakama Reservation, Darwin Sockzehigh spotted the rarest thing in Washington state: a herd of bison.

“This is one of their resting places,” he said. “This is where they take dust baths.”

Sockzehigh, biologist Kristi Olney and Francis Piel actually manage the herd, which started here in 1991.

In winter, they provide supplemental hay from the back of a pickup truck, but for most of the year, the bison provide for themselves.

“That’s a characteristic of these animals,” Olney said. “They don’t congregate and graze in one area. They’re constantly moving.”

Unhindered, bison can travel up to 80 kilometers per day. Managing the herd involves building and repairing numerous fences.

“It’s very hard work,” Sockzehigh said. “And to see them here grazing and relaxing is pretty nice.”

There is historical evidence that the Yakama moved east to hunt bison. A few years ago, the Intertribal Bison Council awarded the Yakama Nation 26 bison from Yellowstone National Park. They are larger, wilder and purer.

“We wanted them to integrate their genetics into the herd,” Olney said.

Across the country, the return of bison to tribal lands has been a way to preserve cultural and spiritual traditions. But for the Yakama, they offer a different kind of healing.

“We have a diabetes problem on our reservation,” Sockzehigh said. “And bison meat is much leaner and healthier.”

A freezer at the bison ranch is filled with bison meat sold without preservatives and virtually no fat.

“We don’t add anything here,” Olney said. “It’s just what they graze on here.”

Meat sales finance the maintenance of the herd.

“I would like to eventually be able to feed meat to our employees, but we’re not there yet,” Olney said.

Sockzehigh says working with the buffalo has been rewarding.

“As I’ve been able to be around and bond with the bison, they’ve become an integral part of my life. When I leave, I want to see a bigger herd and a bigger calf production.”

By caring for the buffalo, the Yakama are caring for themselves.

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